Refrigeration and the like



1932- T. A. BANNING, JR 1,873,101

REFRIGERATION AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 31, 1950 2 Sheets--heet 1 Aug. 23, 1932 A BANNIN R 1,873,101

REFRIGERATION AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 31, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Maw/12n- Patented Aug. 23, 1932 THOMAS A. BAIINING, E", 0F WILTEETTE, ILIJINOIS', ASSIGNOR TO DRYICE EQUIP- MENT CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, Y., A CQRPGBATIQN' OF DELAWARE REFRIGERATION AND LIKE Application filed. December 31; 1930. Serial H0. 506,097.

This invention has to do with improvements in refrigeration. The features of the present invention herein disclosed have reference particularly to improvements in re 5 fri eration b the use of such materials as car on dioxi e, sometimes known as dry ice, etc. Solid carbon dioxide has a temperature of substantially 1le below zero Fahrenheit. It also possesses the peculiar qual ity or characteristic that it sublimates or passes directly from the solid to the gaseous or vaporous form. This sublimation is produced when the material absorbs heat from surrounding objects or gases; and the amount of heat which must be absorbed must be sufiicient to meet the requirements of-the latent heat of evaporation of the solid carbon dioxide so sublimated.

It is one of the characteristics of this material that the rate of evaporation or sublimation is greatly augmented by flowing or passing currents of air or other gas over the block of solid carbon dioxide itself. Such action as the above serves to wash or 7 bathe the solid material and carry away the heat so rapidly that the rate of evaporation or sublimation may become very great.

In the use of solid carbon dioxide for refrigeration purposes, one of the difficulties heretofore encountered has been the fact that there is a'tendency towards over refrigeration or excessive cooling of the container being refrigerated. This over refri eration is also accompanied by an excessive y ra id wastage of the solid carbon dioxide, so t at the efliciency of the refrigerating action has been impaired.

According to the present invention, I propose to place the solid carbon dioxide in a closed container, such as a sheet-metal can or the like, which is closed up to a level substantially as high as the upper level of the solid carbon dioxide contained in such container. The roof of the container is also closed, so as to prevent inflow of air and other gases which would produce a washing or bathing action on the block of solid carbon dioxide. The container is provided with one or more overflow openings or ports in its upper portion. It is an inherent characteristic of carbon dioxide gas that it is much heavier than the surrounding air, and this is especially true in the case of carbon dioxide gas freshly Sublimated, since the same has a temperature of approximately 114 below zero Fahrenheit, and is therefore unusually dense. Consequently, by enclosing the container up to the overflow level already referred to, there is assurance that the block of solid carbon'dioxide contained within the container will be surrounded at all times by an atmosphere of cold carbon dioxide of its own sublimation, and the only further sublimation which can take place will be due to the penetration of heat through the wall of the container and through this bath of cold carbon dioxide which is contained within the container and surrounds the block of still unsublimated solid carbon dioxide. The rate of sublimation or evaporation is thus materially retarded and the cooling action of the solid carbon dioxideis slowed down to a point where it can be advantageousl used for many refrigerating purposes which have not heretofore been satisfactorily produced by the use of this material.

As additional heat finds its way by conduction through the wall of the container and through the cold carbon dioxide gas which surrounds the block of still unsublimated material, additional carbon dioxide gas will be Sublimated and will overflow from the container through the port or ports heretofore referred to as being located in the upper portion of the container.

In order to im rove the action, and also in order to still urther control and reduce the tendency towards excessively rapid evaporation, I provide a downwardly extending conduit around the container, which conduit leads from the port or ports aforesaid, or from the upper portion 0 the interior of the container, downwardly around the outside of the container to a point of discharge adjacent to or below the container itself. The result is that the carbon dioxide gas being evolved within the container then flows downwardly through such passage or passages located at the outside of the container and is carried or permitted to flow downwardly around the outside of the container. The result is that the heat penetrating into the container must necessarily flow through this downwardly moving body of cold carbon dioxide gas, so that the tendency of the heat to penetrate into the body of the container is still further reduced and impeded. In fact, the heat which reaches this downwardly flowing body of cold carbon dioxide gas is largely carried down with such gas and prevented from reaching the interior of the container, so that the rate of sublimation or evaporation is thus still further reduced and controlled.

Considered from another viewpoint, I have provideda container for the solid carbon dioxide, which container is closed up to the normal level of the top of the solid carbon dioxide when charged into the container, said container also being provided with a substantially tight cover so that air and other gas cannot reach the interior of the container, the container being provided at the level aforesaid with one or more overflow openings through which the freshly Sublimated carbon dioxide gas overflows after the container has become filled with a cold atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas, together with a passage or passages surrounding the outside of the container and extending downwardly from such overflow open ng or openings, so that the heat to reach the interior of the container must pass through the downwardly flowing body of cold gas in such passage or passages.

Specifically, I have shown the application of this principle or invention to the refrigeration of the interior of the dome of a tank car or the like used in the transportation of gasoline and other highly volatile and inflammable liquids, but as far as certain features of the present invention are concerned, I do not limit the use of the same to this particula r application.

In the drawings,-

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal vertical section through the upper central portion of a tank car and the dome thereof, a container or refrigerating unit embodying the present invention being located within said dome to refrigerate the same;

Fig. 2 shows a horizontal cross section substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, but on a reduced scale.

In the particular construction illustrated, the body of the tank car proper is designated by the numeral 4. There is provided an upwardly extending dome 5, generally of cir cular or cylindrical form, the top 6 of said dome bein rounded over towards the center. A remova le cover 7 is illustrated for the manhole opening in the top of the dome; and said cover is shown as being held in place by the screws 8. Upon removingsaid screws, the cover can be removed, and the interior of the dome, as well as the body of the tank car, is thus made readily accessible.

There is a fixture 9 which reaches sidewise from the body of the dome and is provided with one or more valve structures 10, the details of which are not illustrated herein. I ma state, however, that these valves are of suc construction that they can be adjusted to allow the gas to force its way outward from the interior of the dome when the pressure therein exceeds a certain predetermined amount. In other words, the valve structures 10 are in the nature of safety valves which can be adjusted so as to relieve the pressure within the dome when it reaches a certain point.

The normal level of the gasoline or other liquid contained within the tank car is shown by the line 11. Normally, it is intended that this liquid shall not reach up into the body of the dome itself, although under certain circumstances the liquid may reach into the lower part of the dome.

As is well known and understood, the absorption of heat into the tank car causes the generation of vapors from the contained volatile liquid, so that the vapor pressure increases. When this vapor pressure exceeds the setting of the safety valve 10, the safety valve will open and allow discharge and wastage of vapors to the outside atmosphere. In the particular refrigeration arrangement herein disclosed, I provide a refrigerating unit within the body of the dome, which unit serves to maintain the temperature within the dome at a sufficiently lowered point to cause the va ors to re-condense and drop back into the b0 y'of the tank car. In this way the vapor pressure within the dome is prevented from rising to an excessive degree, and at the same time the vapors themselves are re-condensed and restored back into the body of the liquid contained within the tank car.

The refrigerating unit disclosed herein embodies the features of invention already set forth. This particular refrigerating unit is in the form of a can or container 12, preferably of metal. This container is closed on its bottom 13, and the cylindrical wall of the container extends up to the top thereof and receives the downwardly extending flange 14 container in consecutive fashion so that there of a removable cover 15. This cover is preferably held in place by a series of clips or the like 16 of any suitable construction, which clips serve to hold the cover tightly tov the can and in a sufiiciently gas-tight fashion to substantially prevent any in or out flow of air or other gas into the top of the container. Also said clips 16 serve to make it possible to lift the container as a unit by grasping a han-' dle 17 which is provided on the center of the cover 15.

The container is provided with one or more openings 18 in the upper portion of its cylindrical wall, which openings. are located substantially at the level of the top of the block of solid carbon dioxide when the same is freshly charged into the container. Due to this circumstance, it is impossible for the Sublimated carbon dioxide gas to get out of bon dioxide gas to a level below the container and near the bottom of the housing or structure which is being refrigerated, namely, the dome. In the particular construction illustrated, the lower ends 20 of these pipes are turned downwardly so that thegas is delivered straight down from them, but thisis done merely as a matter of convenience.

In the particular construction illustrated there are four of the openings 18, and likewise there are four of the pipes 19. These pipes are spiralled around the outside of the outside surrounding passage after it leaves the opening'or openings in the upper portion of the container can.

. Due to the above circumstance, it is clearly noted that the heat penetrating into the container wall for the purpose of reaching the solid carbon dioxide contained within the container, is interfered with and impeded to the extent that the downwardly flowing carbon dioxide gas contained within the pas- .sage or passages interferes therewith. In

the particular construction illustrated, a portion of the container wall 12 is exposed between the consecutive pipes 19, but the amount of such exposure will depend upon the relative sizes of said pipes and the numher of them, as well as the manner in which the are placed around the container.

he container may be supported within the dome in any convenient manner. In the garticular construction illustrated, this is one by means ofcross arms 21 which have their ends supported by brackets 22, said brackets'bein connected to the lower interior portion 0 the dome. This arrangement supports the container above the normal level of the gasoline or other liquid and permits the downflowing carbon dioxide gas to be delivered above the surface of the liquid. At

the same time, after the container has been removed from the dome, the bracket arms 21 can also be removed, and thus ready access is given to the interior of the tank car.

In connection with the foregoing, the container, together with the pipes 19 constituting the outside passage or passages, should be of such size that the same can be moved as a unit through the manhole opening when the cover has been removed from the same. This makes it possible to remove the container as a unit for the purpose of re-charging it when the manhole cover has been removed. In some cases it might be desirable to remove the manhole cover and then remove the cover from the container, without actually removing the container as a body. Such operation'can also be performed with the construction herein set forth.

In some cases it may be desirable to provide a baflie plate or deflector 23 below the position of the container, so that the downflowing current or currents of gas will be deflected laterally, and thus insure a movement of the same. toward the lower portions of the dome wall 5. Such baflle 23 may be readily supported by a bracket 24 from the central portions of the arms 21.

I wish to call attention to the fact that in my copending application for Letters Patent of the United States on improvements in storage and carriage of gasoline and other volatile materials, Serial Number 270,352, filed April 16, 1928, I have disclosed a different specific form of container located in the dome of atank car but in that case also the container is closed or sealed substantially up to the level of the solid carbon dioxide which is freshly charged into the container, there being an overflow opening leading from the upper interior portion of the container at an overflow level to deliver the freshly sublimated carbon dioxide gas downwardly to a lower level than the container. In the specific construction of that earlier application, the downwardly extending passage is located in the center or body portion of the container itself; whereas in the present case the passage or passages extend downwardly around the outside 'of the shell of the container.

The outside of the dome 5 is shown as being protected or covered by a layer of suitable heat insulatin material 25 held in place by bands 26 and 2 and'this heat insulating material is also carried up over the roof 6 of the dome. There is also shown alayer of heat insulatin material 28 on the manhole cover 7.

While have herein shown and described only a single embodiment of the features of my present invention, still I do not lntend to limit myself thereto except as I may do so in the claims.

I claim:

1. A refrigerative container havin enclosed therein a covered gas-tight meta container enclosing solid carbon dioxide, said container being formed for escape of gas only by outflow from a higher level than the ordinary level of the solid carbon dioxide contained therein and arranged so that said outflow level is near but below the top of the enclosing container, to ether with a separate conduit extending ownwardly from the outflow position of the gas-tight metal container around said container to thereby insulate the container against excessive inflow of heat.

2. A refrigerative container for refri erative purposes by the use of solid car on dioxide, said container being substantially gas-tight up to a point in its upper portion and substantially u to a higher level than the ordinary level 0 the solid carbon dioxide contained therein, a separate downwardly extending duct communicating with the interior of the container at said level and extending downwardly around the container for the transfer of gaseous carbon dioxide evolved within the container, to transfer said gas downwardly around the outside of the container and in close proximity to the wall of THOS. A. BANNING, JR.

the container, together with a substantially 4 gas-tight cover on the said container.

3. A refrigerative container for the purpose of refrigeration by the use of solid carbon dioxide, said container including a covered can which is gas-tight with the exception of an overflow opening adjacent to the upper portion of the container and substantially at a higher level than the ordinary level of the solid carbon; dioxide contained within the container, together with a downwardly extending duct located around the outside of the container and having its upper end in communication with the interior of the-container at said overflow level, said duct serving to transfer the gaseous carbon dioxide overflowing through said opening downwardly around the exterior of the container, whereby the inflow of heat into the container for the sublimation of the solid carbon dioxide is impeded by the downflowing previously evolved gaseous carbon dioxide contained Within said duct.

4. A container for solid carbon dioxide used in refrigerative purposes, said container including an interior compartment which is 

